Sumatran Rhino News.

RRC-Admin said:
Hey, I even joined you guys. Seems to be quite a lot going on here.

As for the Sumatran Rhinos, were can I find those Andalas pictures?
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Can you tell us why there seems to be so little news on Andalas at Way Kambas? He arrived there a good while ago now but apart from his arrival, there's been no news.

The IRF 'blog' about Torgamba and Ratu mating is the first real news I've come across from Way Kambas for many months.
 
Some news has been found by one of our members, it's supposedly from the IRF-website:

"After successfully adapting to life at the sanctuary during his quarantine and adjustment period, Andalas was released into a big paddock and has gradually been introduced to two young females, "Rosa" and "Ratu", living at the Sanctuary. Although he was initially scared of the other rhinos and ran away when he heard them coming, Andalas soon began exhibiting typical rhino behaviors with his peers - kicking up dirt, feigning attack, chasing, and trampling bushes."

Read the entire post here: Rhino Resource Center: Messageboard > Rhinos in Captivity > Breeding > Sumatran rhinoceros


I would also like to know if any of you would be willing to submit their rhino photo's to the Rhino Resource Center? Offcourse, we will name you as the author, but copyright has to be 'removed' so anybody can download and use your photo's (we can put restrictions for viewing full-res). Please let me know on: willem AT rhinoresourcecenter DOT com
 
Well, that's some good news I guess. His initial nervousness was probably as this was a new area for him- as he establishes this area as his own familiar territory, he should start to act more confidentally around the females and hopefyully mating will follow.
 
FINALLY- some real news about Andalas... Type in IRF Blog and you can read the whole thing- he is doing very well and has become acclimatised to a much more varied 'wild' diet and has been taught to use a mud wallow which he hadn't done in the USA.

Even more interesting he has now been introduced to one of the younger females 'Ratu,' on three occassions. There was fighting the first two times but on the last occassion some courtship behaviour- so they're hopeful for mating in due course. He's been at Way Kambas nearly a year now and is fully settled in, but still growing apparently....
 
Go to the Rhinoresourcecenter and then under "our newest references" klik on the latest "anonymous" entry. It's from the Curator at Way Kambas and has a VERY detailed report about everything going on there in the last 12 months...
 
... So I presume the recent mixing of Ratu and Torgamba(as per the same blog) hasn't resulted in her getting pregnant?
 
Thanks both of you for those leads. From no information, suddenly there is an abundance...!! I've already looked briefly through the Curator's report- the most interesting section, at least for me, is obviously the reproductive one. It seems things have actually been busy at Way Kambas throughout the whole of last year- first with Torgamba mating both with Bina and Ratu(many copulations with Ratu over several months) and from September Andalas has also started to be brought together with Ratu also, though its still very tentative at present.

Unfortunately all of Torgamba's efforts with Ratu so far have failed to produce a pregnancy. A couple of other things seem noteworthy; as yet Rosa mostly runs away from a male, while Bina doesn't seem to like Andalas...

Lets hope this year brings at least some success- perhaps Ratu pregnant by Andalas?(Yay!)
 
yes, any birth would be significant, but what i really hope for is that Torgamba produces a calf with at least one female, creating a second unrelated linage from the cincy pair.

anyone know what the involvement is with US/European zoos at the center? id'e like to think that with Andalas being repatriated, the cincinnati or LA zoo would be playing a heightened role...
 
I don't know the 'politics' behind this transfer, but I belive Cincinnati Zoo has pulled their hands of the project. Offcourse, Terry Roth is still afiliated with the IRF and IRF staff (Dr. Radcliffe) is still monitoring the project. But the true succes of this story, and the SRS, lies in the hands of Andalas.

I don't want to know what happens to the SRS if there are no births in the next five years.
 
i am very disappointed to hear that the cincinnati zoo, that boasts the best experienced, ONLY experienced people in the world is not providing close support and involvement with the SRS in indonesia, where the species has its best chance at captive propagation.

neither breeding program will succeed without the other.
 
patrick said:
yes, any birth would be significant, but what i really hope for is that Torgamba produces a calf with at least one female, creating a second unrelated linage from the cincy pair.
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Yes, me too but it seems doubtful now. If you read the Curator's 2007 report(see above for the link), under the reproductive section you'll see poor old Torgamba has been mating the 'most likely' female 'Ratu' regularly throughout 2007, but she hasn't become pregnant. It appears he doesn't produce viable sperm... Since September they've been introducing her to Andalas instead.
 
RRC-Admin said:
I don't know the 'politics' behind this transfer, but I belive Cincinnati Zoo has pulled their hands of the project. Offcourse, Terry Roth is still afiliated with the IRF and IRF staff (Dr. Radcliffe) is still monitoring the project. But the true succes of this story, and the SRS, lies in the hands of Andalas.
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Any idea what this could mean for Cincinnati as far as future breeding is concerned? They really need another w/c male for breeding with Suci and maybe also to replace Ipuh eventually, as he must be getting on in years now?

I hope its not in the agreement that Suci has to return to Sumatra too...
 
patrick said:
i am very disappointed to hear that the cincinnati zoo, that boasts the best experienced, ONLY experienced people in the world is not providing close support and involvement with the SRS in indonesia, where the species has its best chance at captive propagation.

neither breeding program will succeed without the other.
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That's my fear too. And how will this affect the future for the existing animals at Cincinnati?
 
A big part of the reason why Andalas was sent to Indonesia was to encourage movement between the US and Asia. Right now Cincinnati has no room for more Sumatrans, unless they renovate more hoofstock barns. But the idea was to receive more sumatrans in exchange for andalas.
 
okapikpr said:
Right now Cincinnati has no room for more Sumatrans, unless they renovate more hoofstock barns. But the idea was to receive more sumatrans in exchange for andalas.
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The elderly female 'Bina' was supposed to go from Way Kambas to Cincinnati, but it didn't happen.

I believe Cincinnati have plans to redevelop or enlarge the Sumatran rhino enclosures.

Do you know what the plan (they must have one by now...) is for the young female 'Suci' when she reaches breeding age?
 
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